McDonalds Corporation :: GCSE Business Marketing BTEC Coursework

McDonalds ResturantFrom just one restaurant in San Bernadino, California, run by two brothers, McDonalds has grown to become the best known and or so popular fast food restaurant chain in the world.The first McDonalds opened in 1948. The franchising operations soon became McDonalds Corporation in 1955.As most of the world now knows McDonalds as the home of the Big MAC, the first restaurants had a slightly different main menu item, heatable dogs.Ray Kroc bought out the McDonald brothers, Mac and Dick, for $2.7 Million in cash in 1961. Krocs prototype store in Des Plaines, Illinois, is now a museum. in any case in 1961, Kroc opened Hamburger University in the basement of a McDonalds restaurant, in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. By 1963, McDonalds was selling a billion hamburgers a day. The company went public in 1965. In 1967 the opened their first international restaurant in Canada. In 1971, McDonalds restaurants opened in atomic number 63 and Australia.Their signature Big MAC wasnt introduced until 1968 and the first drive-thru McDonalds was opened in Sierra Vista, Arizona in 1975. About half of McDonalds gross sales were accounted to drive-thrus in the late 1990s. Their winning strategy has remained an unchanged through the years. It provides quality food and fast service, in a clean environment at an affordable price. It has been noticed throughout the running of McDonalds that they tend to market to the eyes of children with Ronald McDonald as their notorious spokesclown that is recognized by 96% of American children. Also, in 1998, McDonalds signed a long-term deal with the Walt Disney Company to include Disney merchandise as giveaways in its Happy Meals.The Made for you concept menu was in addition introduced in 1998. It was introduced to revamp kitchens and promote sandwiches made especially for the consumer. This was to keep food fresher. It is a computer based production system. McDonalds developed the software itself. The juvenile system will also replace the batch method where food is often made before the consumer enters the restaurant. In 1998, McDonalds, in order to remain strong, tested the McDonalds Big Xtras or MBX which was a potential hit. The MBX was a 4.5-ounce burger launched mainly to compete with Burger Kings Whopper. It was also reminiscent of the1980s McDLT, In 98 they also brought back the Filet-O-Fish which in 1996 had been replaced by Fish Filet Deluxe. On a promotion basis, they offered novelty sandwiches, like Cheddar Melt and the McRib.